Scottish Executive

Autism

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has encouraged, or commissioned, research on the prevalence of essential fatty acids in children on the autistic spectrum.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Chief Scientists Office (CSO), within the Scottish Executive Health Department, has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and health care needs in Scotland. CSO is largely a response mode funder of research and has recently received an outline research grant application on this subject. This application is currently being externally peer reviewed.

Cancer

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many colorectal cancer surgeons there are per head of population, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: Colorectal cancer surgery is not a recognised clinical specialty. Workforce information, including the numbers of consultants by clinical specialty are available from ISD Scotland at www.isdscotland.org/isd.

Care Commission

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to review the operation of the Care Commission and whether it will consider directly funding the commission as part of such a review.

Mr Tom McCabe: Ministers regularly review the Care Commission’s performance against the targets in its corporate plan, in accordance with its management statement and financial memorandum. That document also requires the Health Department to conduct a financial management and policy review of the Care Commission at least every five years or at such other intervals as the department may determine. The commission was established in April 2002, and so the first review is due in 2007. The initial stages of the review will focus on the continuing need for the organisation, its constitution, organisation and delivery of its functions and whether they are being delivered and financed in the most effective manner.

Carers

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding has been provided to each local authority in each of the last three years to meet the needs of carers, excluding the provision of respite care.

Mr Tom McCabe: Under the Carers Strategy £10 million a year has been provided to local authorities from April 2000 to develop local services that support carers. The following table sets out the resources available to each local authority. Councils should be determining, in partnership with carers, service users and other key planning partners, how best to use their share of these resources to meet the needs of local carers. These resources will be used in a variety of ways, including the provision of respite care.

  Strategy for Carers in Scotland: Resources to Local Authorities

  

 Local Authority
 Resources 
  available each year from April 2000
(£000)


 Aberdeen City
 411


 Aberdeenshire
 378


 Angus
 233


 Argyll and Bute
 204


 Clackmannanshire
 97


 Dumfries and Galloway
 301


 Dundee City
 326


 East Ayrshire
 244


 East Dunbartonshire
 166


 East Lothian
 177


 East Renfrewshire
 146


 Edinburgh, City of
 887


 Eilean Siar
 70


 Falkirk
 270


 Fife
 699


 Glasgow City
 1,355


 Highland
 387


 Inverclyde
 181


 Midlothian
 134


 Moray
 155


 North Ayrshire
 283


 North Lanarkshire
 611


 Orkney Islands
 38


 Perth and Kinross
 274


 Renfrewshire
 322


 Scottish Borders
 237


 Shetland Islands
 40


 South Ayrshire
 244


 South Lanarkshire
 546


 Stirling
 161


 West Dunbartonshire
 183


 West Lothian
 242


 Scotland
 10,000



  Source: Grant Aided Expenditure 2000-01, Carers Service and Respite Care GAE.

Charity Law

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to consult the charity sector during the drafting of new legislation on charity law reform.

Ms Margaret Curran: In my statement to Parliament on 24 September I made a commitment that a draft bill to reform charity regulation in Scotland would be prepared for consultation in spring next year. I also emphasised the Executive’s commitment to involving the full range of charity and voluntary sector interests during the preparation of the bill as well as during the formal consultation once the draft is published.

  A strategy for this process of engagement has now been set out, involving the establishment of a reference group, a series of specialist meetings with key stakeholders and experts, and wider information-sharing activities. Copies of the consultation strategy have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 30103) and an electronic version will be made available on the Executive’s website.

  The bill reference group met for the first time on 25 November, and further meetings are scheduled before Christmas and early in the new year. It is chaired by officials, with a remit to assist the Executive to develop effective, coherent and proportionate proposals in the draft bill.

  Additionally, a wide range of stakeholders will be engaged on specific issues during the process of preparing the draft legislation.

Crime

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the criminal assets seized from June 2002 to June 2003 has been put to the use of community projects.

Hugh Henry: Our policy has been to use recovered criminal assets to support the treatment of homeless drug misusers, and to help families affected by the hardship that drugs bring. However, the First Minister announced on 21 November that future awards would be used to support communities which bear the brunt of the crime and deprivation associated with the drugs trade.

  We operate a "rolling" programme which allows for resources recovered in one financial year to be used for good causes in the following financial year. Proposals for making use of these resources to assist disadvantaged communities, based on actual sums recovered in 2002-03, will be set out early next year. We estimate that around £440,000 will be available.

Digital Technology

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what contact it has had with BT over the provision of internet access in primary schools.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has held discussions with a number of telecommunications companies, including BT, about a range of issues, including the educational requirements for access to broadband and the internet.

Digital Technology

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when residents of the Isle of Arran will be able to access broadband internet technology.

Mr Jim Wallace: This is a commercial matter for broadband providers. We understand there may be commercial scope for broadband services in parts of Arran dependant on sufficient levels of demand.

  The Executive is, of course, pursuing a number of demand-stimulation measures across Scotland, under our broadband strategy. These include our current technology and supplier-neutral marketing campaign, which is promoting demand for broadband and thereby stimulating its provision.

  In addition, Highlands and Islands Enterprise are trialling alternative broadband technologies such as wireless, as well as piloting a community-based broadband scheme. These measures will develop the potential of these delivery mechanisms for taking broadband to areas unlikely to be served by the market.

Electricity

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the electricity grid will be upgraded and what the cost of each connection will be from (a) Dounreay to Beauly, (b) Beauly to Denny and (c) Western Isles to the National Grid in order to provide extra capacity for increased renewable energy generation.

Lewis Macdonald: While the regulation of the electricity network is a reserved matter, the Executive is working with the UK Government, the regulator, and the industry to ensure that the grid is strengthened in order to fully realise Scotland’s renewable energy potential. I understand that the transmission companies are currently considering a range of options for strengthening the grid in various places but no conclusions have yet been reached on specific proposals or on the costs and timing involved.

Enterprise

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many public limited companies had their registered offices in Scotland in each year since 1990.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Claire Clancy, the Chief Executive of Companies House, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The information requested is not available. While the number of companies incorporating each year in Scotland (i.e. new public limited companies) is known, the total number of public limited companies in Scotland is not. Information on the total number of PLCs is known for Great Britain but there are no separate figures for Scotland.

Forestry

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has provided to develop the forest industry cluster in each year since 2001; where these funds have been invested, and what outcomes have been achieved.

Allan Wilson: Enterprise Networks are responsible for supporting cluster development and details of support are an operational matter for the networks. The information requested is not held centrally.

  However, Forestry Commission Scotland also contributes to many of the Scottish forest industries cluster's initiatives such as events, publications, conferences and working groups such as the timber transport forum. In addition, Forestry Commission Scotland currently has a project officer on secondment in Scottish Development International within the Enterprise Transport and Lifelong Learning Department. This officer assists colleagues in Scottish Enterprise in supporting the forest industries cluster. The initiative fosters good relations and a wider understanding between the two organisations and is also a staff development opportunity. The secondment exercise has been running for just over four years and the total annual pay bill for the officer is £45,000.

Health

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children are currently diagnosed with (a) autism, (b) Asperger’s syndrome and (c) semantic and pragmatic language disorder in each NHS board area.

Mr Tom McCabe: The information requested is not centrally available. Autism or Asperger’s syndrome will often be the underlying condition and patients records may not explicitly refer to this. Information about face-to-face consultations between GPs and patients is gathered centrally as part of continuous morbidity recording (CMR) in general practice. The number of patients diagnosed with autism or Asperger’s syndrome and recorded as part of CMR is very low and will not reflect the true prevalence in the Scottish population. Further information can be obtained on www.isdscotland.org.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how NHS boards can implement its policy with regard to the elimination of postcode prescribing and meet their statutory requirement of breaking even at the end of the financial year.

Malcolm Chisholm: To enable effective, innovative treatments to move smoothly into mainstream use across NHS Scotland, the Scottish Medicines Consortium is developing a "horizon scanning process" to allow it to identify its likely future workload, ideally 12 months in advance. This "forward look" will allow a national implementation plan to be agreed for effective, innovative drugs.

  NHS board general revenue allocations already include provision for the cost of prescribed drugs and are set to allow for the introduction of new drugs and the greater use of existing therapies. The new national planning arrangements will improve the effectiveness of this process.

Health Statistics

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to gather data on differential incidence rates of diseases such as colorectal cancer between all NHS board areas and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information and Statistics Division (ISD) Scotland holds epidemiological and other health-related information.

  Data on incidence rates between NHS board areas for all cancers including colorectal cancer is available at http://www.isdscotland.org/cancer_information.

  For other diseases ISD Scotland works in partnership with a wide range of organisations – NHS boards, hospitals, general practitioners, local authorities, voluntary organisations and many other care and service providers to build the national database of diagnoses at NHS board level. This includes acute in-patient and day case care, maternal/obstetric care, neonatal care, mental health/psychiatric hospital care.

Justice

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-113 by Mrs Elish Angiolini on 2 June 2003, how many reports to procurators fiscal have been marked "no proceedings" for reason of (a) time-bar, (b) delay by police/reporting agency, (c) lack of court resources, (d) procurator fiscal staff shortage and (e) delay by procurator fiscal since March 2003, broken down by sheriff court district.

Colin Boyd QC: April to September 2003
 Timebar
 Delay by 
  Police/ Reporting Agency
 Lack of Court 
  Resources
 PF Staff 
  Shortage
 Delay by 
  PF


 Aberdeen
 1
 130
 -
 -
 -


 Airdrie
 138
 180
 -
 -
 -


 Alloa
 -
 8
 -
 -
 -


 Arbroath
 -
 17
 -
 -
 -


 Ayr
 11
 169
 -
 -
 -


 Banff
 1
 8
 -
 -
 -


 Campbeltown
 -
 2
 -
 -
 -


 Cupar
 -
 17
 -
 -
 -


 Dingwall
 7
 9
 -
 -
 4


 Dornoch
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Dumbarton
 -
 37
 -
 -
 1


 Dumfries
 3
 22
 -
 -
 1


 Dundee
 36
 38
 -
 -
 2


 Dunfermline
 1
 29
 -
 -
 -


 Dunoon
 1
 10
 -
 -
 -


 Duns
 -
 4
 -
 -
 -


 Edinburgh
 447
 352
 -
 -
 19


 Elgin
 2
 21
 -
 -
 -


 Falkirk
 93
 52
 -
 -
 111


 Forfar
 3
 2
 -
 -
 -


 Fort William
 -
 3
 -
 -
 -


 Glasgow
 612
 860
 -
 -
 -


 Greenock
 9
 9
 -
 -
 -


 Haddington
 1
 33
 -
 -
 -


 Hamilton
 138
 345
 -
 -
 4


 Inverness
 12
 49
 -
 -
 23


 Jedburgh
 -
 -
 -
 -
 2


 Kilmarnock
 15
 124
 -
 -
 -


 Kirkcaldy
 52
 23
 -
 -
 -


 Kirkcudbright
 -
 2
 -
 -
 1


 Kirkwall
 -
 6
 -
 -
 -


 Lanark
 3
 2
 -
 -
 -


 Lerwick
 -
 3
 -
 -
 -


 Linlithgow
 32
 61
 -
 -
 -


 Lochmaddy
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Oban
 1
 3
 -
 -
 1


 Paisley
 23
 95
 -
 -
 7


 Peebles
 -
 5
 -
 -
 -


 Perth
 4
 16
 -
 -
 1


 Peterhead
 -
 1
 -
 -
 -


 Portree
 -
 5
 -
 -
 -


 Rothesay
 3
 2
 -
 -
 -


 Selkirk
 2
 22
 -
 -
 -


 Stirling
 23
 33
 -
 -
 1


 Stonehaven
 -
 1
 -
 -
 -


 Stornoway
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Stranraer
 -
 4
 -
 -
 -


 Tain
 -
 1
 -
 -
 -


 Wick
 -
 4
 -
 -
 -


 PF Service
 1,674
 2,819
 -
 -
 178



  I am in particular pleased to report that, as a result of effective partnership working between Strathclyde Police and the Strathclyde Area Procurators Fiscal, the number of cases marked no proceedings because of police delay in Strathclyde has reduced to 1,829 from 6,199 when compared to the same period in 2002-03 – a drop of around 70%.

Mental Health

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3551 by Mr Tom McCabe on 17 November 2003, how many letters about the proposed West of Scotland Secure Care Centre it has received; where such letters were sent from; what the key points raised in the letters were, and what action it will take in relation to the location of the new centre.

Malcolm Chisholm: As of Tuesday 25 November, the Health Department had received a total of 159 letters about the proposed West of Scotland Secure Care Centre. One hundred and twelve letters had been received from the Paisley area and 47 from locations in Lanarkshire. The letters raised a number of points including the perceived shortcomings of the site selection and public consultation processes.

  The Executive’s policy is clear in relation to medium secure units. We expect NHS boards to work together, as with the four relevant NHS boards in the case of the proposed West of Scotland Secure Care Centre, to deliver medium secure units providing safe, secure and effective services to residents of these areas.

  In consulting on the proposals, NHS boards are required to follow the guidance provided by the department on involving the public in services changes. This expects boards to inform, engage and consult the public in the relevant areas, and then to feed back the results of the consultation including reasons for the eventual decision and explanations of how the public’s views were taken into account. The four relevant boards have been following this guidance.

  As to the final decision on a site, as with decisions already made in Lothian and Glasgow on medium secure units, this is a matter for the NHS boards themselves provided they adhere to the Executive’s policies and guidelines. I have been assured by Professor George Irving, the Chair of the West of Scotland Secure Care Centre steering group, that a careful and thorough process is being followed and that all available information is being considered as they move towards a decision.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to issue guidance on the qualifications of, and training for, care staff allocated to support people with multiple sclerosis.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has no plans to issue guidance for care staff working with people with multiple sclerosis.

  The Scottish Social Services Council is the regulatory body for the social care sector, and sets qualifications criteria for registration. Registration of social care staff is being phased. Care staff working in adult residential settings will be registered in phase two, which is due to begin from April 2006.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to ask NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to produce national standards for the care of people with multiple sclerosis.

Malcolm Chisholm: We are funding the development of a managed care network in Forth Valley for people with MS, which includes standards for services in primary care and in hospital, endorsed by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland. We wish to see these MS networks developed across Scotland.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to issue guidance to NHS boards on increasing the number of specialist nurses in multiple sclerosis.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards are responsible for planning services in their areas and for securing the staff needed to deliver them.

  The Executive remains committed to building the capacity of the NHSScotland workforce and under the Facing the Future banner has committed some £10 million to a number of nursing initiatives over the last two financial years including funding for continuous professional development.

  As I undertook to do, I have asked my officials to raise with NHS boards the issue of the provision of specialist MS nurse capacity.

NHS Boards

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3034 by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 November 2003, whether it will list the political activities over the last five years of each member of each NHS board as supplied in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice.

Malcolm Chisholm: The composition of NHS boards by gender, profession and declared political activity is published in the Scottish Executive publication Annual Report on Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland and can be found on the Executive’s website at:

  www.scotland.gov.uk/government/public bodies.

  The information provided in the annual report and on the website includes any political activity undertaken during the past five years.

NHS Equipment

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3072 by Malcolm Chisholm on 17 November 2003, whether it considers that such information should be provided to, and collated by, it in order for proper budgetary planning for equipment to take place.

Malcolm Chisholm: Public capital resources are allocated to NHS boards by way of an agreed formula. NHS boards prepare five-year capital plans to demonstrate how such resources are to be applied to meet the objectives as set out in local health plans and supporting property strategies. The purchase and replacement of equipment is a part of this planning process. It is for NHS boards to determine their priorities within the resources allocated.

  Donations made to NHS bodies are dealt with through endowment funds which are operated independently of funds made available by the Scottish Executive. The level of donations or income subsequently derived from endowment funds are not considered as part of national budgetary and financial planning arrangements.

National Health Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients waited more than one hour on trolleys for a bed in hospitals in the West of Scotland region in the week beginning 10 November 2003, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive does not have information held centrally on the number of patients waiting more than one hour on trolleys in hospitals in the West of Scotland region.

  A census taken during week commencing 10 November 2003 in Argyll and Clyde, Ayrshire and Arran, Dumfries and Galloway and Lanarkshire NHS boards show 323 patients waiting.

  Corresponding information is not available for hospitals in the NHS Glasgow area.

National Health Service

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive under what criteria a patient waiting to obtain knee replacement surgery within NHS Argyll and Clyde waits for the surgery to take place (a) in an NHS hospital and (b) on the NHS in a private hospital.

Malcolm Chisholm: The timing of a patient’s admission (whether to an NHS or contracted private sector hospital) for in-patient or day case treatment is a matter for the clinical judgement of the relevant consultant, based on the priority of individual cases. Patients are seen on the basis of clinical need.

Osteoporosis

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to increase access to bone density scanning in order to intervene earlier in the early stages of osteoporosis and, if so, which groups of patients would be targeted.

Malcolm Chisholm: I look to NHS boards to plan and provide bone density scanning services in accordance with their assessment of local need. Which patients are most likely to benefit from scanning is a matter for the professional judgement of the clinicians involved, taking account of the relevant clinical guidelines.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many health staff working in prisons have contracted hepatitis C (a) during the course of their work and (b) in total in each year for which the figures are available, broken down by staff group.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  This information is not available.

Regulation of Care

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether costs of regulation of care were included in its allocation to local authorities and, if so, whether it has monitored how much of this money has been transferred to the voluntary sector.

Mr Tom McCabe: When the Care Commission was established, resources were left with local authorities to allow them to pay for residual work and accommodation related to their previous regulatory role, and to meet the cost of paying registration fees for their own service provision. The Executive does not hold information on the use of these resources by authorities. The resources were included in the total distributed to authorities through grant aided expenditure. It is for individual local authorities to decide how to use the resources available to them. Contractual arrangements between the authorities and the voluntary sector for the provision of services are an operational matter for them.

Scottish Executive Buildings

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive on which buildings occupied by its agencies and non-departmental public bodies the lease will be due for renewal in the next four years.

Tavish Scott: The Executive has been notified of the following lease terminations up to and including 31 December 2007.

  

 Building
 Lease end date


 Epic House, 28-32 Cadogan Street, 
  Glagow, G2 7LP
 January 2004


 3 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh, 
  EH3 7QJ
 February 2004


 Fishery Office, Terminal Buildings, 
  East Pier, Kirkwall
 February 2004


 Bridge Road, Portree, Isle 
  of Skye, IV51 9ER
 March 2004


 Anderson’s Chambers, Market 
  Street, Galashiels, TD1 3AF
 April 2004


 23 High Street, Elgin
 April 2004


 Trinity Park House, South Trinity 
  Road, Edinburgh, EH5 3SE
 June 2004


 48 Manor Place, Edinburgh, 
  EH3 7EH
 July 2004


 Abbey Street Yard, 20 Abbey 
  Street, Arbroath
 August 2004


 Suite 4, 9th Floor, 
  Salvesen Tower, Blaikie Quay, Aberdeen
 September 2004


 10 Harbour View, Stornoway
 December 2004


 Croythorn House, Ravelston 
  Terrace, Edinburgh
 March 2005


 Ochil House, First Floor, Stirling
 April 2005


 FRS Montrose Station, 16 River 
  Street, Montrose
 May 2005


 Units 1-4, 10, 11 Seaforth 
  House, Hillington Industrial Estate, Glasgow, G52 4SQ
 May 2005


 Abbey Street, Arbroath, Angus, 
  DD1 11E
 May 2005


 42 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, 
  EH12 5LA
 June 2005


 5th Floor, Nethergate Business 
  Centre, 35 Yeaman Square, Dundee, DD1 4BU
 November 2005


 Dava House, 43 Brousterhill, 
  East Kilbride
 November 2005


 Barvas Depot, Barvas Development, 
  Unit 2, Barvas, Isle of Lewis
 March 2006


 K Floor, Argyle House, 3 Lady 
  Lawson Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9SH
 March 2006


 Bakehouse Close, 146 Canongate, 
  Edinburgh
 March 2006


 2 Albyn Terrace, Aberdeen
 May 2006


 Linlithgow Sheriff Court, Annex, 
  Almondvale Boulevard, Livingston
 June 2006


 Unit 1, West Docks, Harbour 
  Place, Burntisland
 July 2006


 46 Crossgate, Cupar, Fife, 
  KY15 5HS
 April 2007


 Floors 3-5, 150 St Vincent 
  Street, Glasgow, G2 5UU
 July 2007


 Peffermill, Unit 34, Kingshaugh 
  Road, Peffermill Ind Est, Edinburgh
 July 2007


 Elgin Buildings, Cooper Park, 
  King Street, Elgin, UV30 12HV
 October 2007


 Lottery Sports Fund, Blyth 
  Buildings, 6 Redheugh Rigg, South Gyle, Edinburgh, EH12 
  9HL
 November 2007

Scottish Natural Heritage

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) staff will be relocated to Inverness "carefully and sensitively, reducing as far as possible any disruption to our performance while treating staff fairly", as referred to in A Natural Perspective , if 70% of SNH staff currently based in Edinburgh do not wish to relocate.

Allan Wilson: The management of the relocation of its headquarters staff to Inverness is an operational matter for SNH. However, the Executive strongly supports SNH management in their aim to encourage as many staff as possible to move to Inverness. SNH have indicated that they also intend to provide staff who do not wish to move, with information and assistance to help them find suitable alternative employment.

Social Work

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a table showing how many social work students trained at Scottish institutions in each of the last 12 years.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive is happy to publish such a table, although this information is only available for an eight-year period, from academic years 19994-95 to 2001-02. (The way in which data is stored does not allow us to carry out the detailed analysis required by this question for years prior to 1994-95.)

  Social Work1,2 & 3 Graduate and Diplomates from Higher Education Courses in Scotland, 1994-95 to 2001-02

  

 Year
 Number


 1994-95
 1,319


 1995-96
 1,735


 1996-97
 2,044


 1997-98
 2,587


 1998-99
 2,365


 1999-2000
 2,636


 2000-01
 2,534


 2001-02
 2,457



  Sources: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC).

  Notes:

  1. Social Work is defined by HESA as comprising the subjects: Social Work, Residential Social Work, Welfare, Applied Social Work, Youth and Community Work, Community Work, Home Help, Counselling, Careers Education/Guidance, Children in Society, Child Care, Residential Child Care, Caring Skills, Playwork and Health and Community Studies.

  2. HESA data includes: single Social Work subjects and combinations of Social Work subjects contained within the Social Studies grouping.

  3. Social Work has been defined by the Executive from the SFEFC data by combining the subjects: Social Work, Youth and Community Work and Childcare from the HE subject listings for Social Studies.

Social Work

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received, and from whom, regarding the registration of care workers.

Euan Robson: Registration is based on a qualification criteria. The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) consulted on Phase 1 qualifications criteria and registration fees between June and September 2002. One thousand copies of the consultation document were distributed and 14 consultation events took place across Scotland. The consultation document also appeared on the SSSC’s website between August 2002 and February 2003. One hundred and sixty seven responses were received. Nineteen from individuals and 148 from organisations.

  Four thousand copies of the consultation documents were distributed during Phase 2 consultation. Further copies were distributed at the nine consultation events and eight external agency events organised by the SSSC. The documents appeared on the website between June and September. Responses were received from 399 early education and child care workers. Sixty four employee and 51 organisation responses were received from adult residential care workers.

Social Work

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many care workers are awaiting a response from Disclosure Scotland with regard to registration and what the average waiting time is for processing such applications.

Euan Robson: There are currently 66 applications awaiting Disclosure Scotland certificates. It takes an average of 21.6 working days for the return of a Disclosure Scotland certificate. This is an average figure based on the applications processed during September. Some were processed in less than 20 days and some took up to 58 days. Delays in processing are usually caused by the applicant having a previous address outside Scotland or Disclosure Scotland carrying out a secondary search on the applicant. They have recently recruited more staff and expect a swifter turnaround period in the near future.

  The Scottish Social Services Council take, on average, 24.4 working days to process an application. This includes the Disclosure Scotland check time.

Suicide

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3845 by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 November 2003, what the estimated timescale will be with regard to initiating research into the reasons for the level of suicide rates in Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: At present, there are two stages to the research process in support of the Choose Life Strategy and Action Plan. The first of these – a scoping exercise – is being commissioned in January 2004. The overall aim of this scoping exercise is to collect and co-ordinate information about the interests and areas of expertise of organisations and individuals specialising in suicide-related research across the UK and beyond and to establish the focus for the next stage.

  The second stage, commencing between the end of spring and the beginning of summer 2004, involves the commissioning of a series of reviews related to the objectives and priorities of the Choose Life Strategy. This will establish a systematic approach to understanding the extent and nature of the existing evidence base relating to suicide prevalence, risk and protective factors. This work is being undertaken in 2004-05. Once completed, we will be in a position to better identify gaps and to set about commissioning further research to meet Scottish needs.

Voluntary Sector

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has assessed the impact of the European Working Time Directive on the voluntary sector’s ability to delivery care.

Malcolm Chisholm: The voluntary sector is an important partner in the delivery of health and social care. The Working Time Regulations currently apply to almost all employees in the UK and, from August 2004 will have a significant impact on doctors in training. Work is under way by NHSScotland on assessing the impact of the Working Time Regulations on this group of staff’s ability to deliver care – it remains to be seen what, if any, impact there will be on the voluntary sector.

Waste Management

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 classified small domestic or commercial oil burners in the same category as oil-fired power stations and industrial quarries.

Allan Wilson: The Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 were made to fulfil the Executive’s obligations under the European Directive on the incineration of waste (EC 2000-76-EC). The directive defines incineration plant as a stationary or mobile technical unit and equipment dedicated to the thermal treatment of wastes. The directive has no de minimis threshold. The Executive believes that any piece of equipment, such as a small waste oil burner, that has been specifically designed or adapted for combustion of materials falls within the meaning of technical unit and, therefore, within the scope of the Waste Incineration Directive.

  The Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 apply only to industrial or commercial premises. Domestic waste oil burners are, consequently, outside the scope of the regulations.

Waste Management

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether small waste oil burners help prevent localised pollution.

Allan Wilson: The Executive does not believe that small commercial waste oil burners help prevent localised pollution. These units, which are generally of very simple design and have no pollution abatement equipment fitted, have the potential to cause localised air pollution.

  All producers of waste oil have a duty of care to ensure that they dispose of it without harming the environment.

Waste Management

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any small waste oil burners will be made cost-prohibitive as a result of the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 and, if so, how waste oil will be rendered harmless, particularly in rural and remote areas.

Allan Wilson: The decision on whether it would be cost-prohibitive to upgrade small waste oil burners to meet the requirements of the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 is a commercial matter for individual operators. It is expected that many small burners will close once the transitional period for existing units runs out at the end of 2005. The Executive believes that recovery of waste oil is a better environmental option than incineration.

Waste Management

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address any concerns that many small waste oil burners will be made cost-prohibitive as a result of the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003.

Allan Wilson: It would be inappropriate for the Executive to become involved in commercial decisions on whether it would be viable to upgrade small-scale industrial waste oil burners to meet the requirements of the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003.

Waste Management

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns that localised pollution will increase in the event of small waste oil burners being made cost-prohibitive as a result of the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003.

Allan Wilson: Operators are under a duty of care to ensure that they dispose of waste oil without harming the environment. The Executive does not anticipate an increase in localised pollution unless anyone was to dispose of the waste oil illegally. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has powers to take enforcement action in such circumstances.

Waste Management

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 do not recognise the role of small generators and processors of waste oil in preventing localised pollution whilst the equivalent regulations proposed by Her Majesty’s Government do.

Allan Wilson: The provisions in the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 relating to small waste oil burners are the same as the equivalent provisions in the Waste Incineration Regulations for England and Wales. It would be inappropriate for the Executive to comment on the interpretation of these regulations by Her Majesty’s Government.

Waste Management

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003, why existing guidelines allowing locally regulated recycling of waste oil for space heating cannot be maintained.

Allan Wilson: The Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 bring the burning of waste oils on commercial premises into a new control regime. These regulations supersede any earlier guidance. The existing 2001 guidance from the Department of Trade and Industry warns that burning waste oil is being discouraged as a result of provisions of the Waste Incineration Directive.

Water Charges

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will continue making provision to assist those on low incomes to meet their water bills through the Transitional Water and Sewerage Charges Relief Scheme in 2004-05 and, if not, whether it will make alternative arrangements for this purpose.

Ross Finnie: The current transitional scheme was set up to provide additional assistance to enable low income households adjust to increased water and sewerage charges. The main source of assistance remains the link between domestic charges and the banding and discount arrangements of the council tax system.

Water Charges

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider extending the current household water charge reduction scheme for low income households beyond March 2004 until a revised scheme to address water poverty can be introduced.

Ross Finnie: The current transitional scheme was set up to provide additional assistance to enable low income households adjust to increased water and sewerage charges. The main source of assistance remains the link between domestic charges and the banding and discount arrangements of the council tax system.

Water Charges

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will offer a new relief scheme to all registered charities as a result of the increase in water charges.

Ross Finnie: The Executive has put in place regulations that provide for those charitable and voluntary organisations that have been affected by the withdrawal of relief on water and sewerage charges, and which have modest incomes, to be exempted from all water and sewerage charges until 1 April 2006. It has no plans for any further schemes of assistance.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what the floor area is of each MSP office in the MSP block of the new Parliament building at Holyrood.

Mr George Reid: : The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has informed me that the floor area in each MSP office in the MSP block measures 15m². In addition, there is 12m² of adjacent floor space earmarked for researchers.

Scottish Parliament Staff

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer,  further to the answer to question S2W-3575 by Mr Andrew Welsh on 19 November 2003, whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will place in the Scottish Parliamentary Information Centre the monthly reports on the work of the Scottish Parliament staff member based in Brussels.

Mr Andrew Welsh (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body): The monthly reports from the Scottish Parliament staff member based in Brussels to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body are made available every month on the External Liaison Unit’s pages on SPEIR http://intranet/speir/services/elu/elu-hd-reports.html.